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Kler Lwee Htoo District Incident Report: Villagers forced by SAC security forces to get a COVID-19 vaccination without their consent, April 2022

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Myanmar
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KHRG
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(Excerpt)

Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. For each incident, be sure to include 1) when the incident happened, 2) where it happened, 3) what happened, 4) how it happened, 5) who was involved, and 6) why it happened. Also describe any villager response(s) to the incident, the aftermath and the current living situation of the victims. Please use the space prepared below, and create an attachment if needed.

On April 11th 2022, while Naw A---, her mother and elder sister were in Mone Town for their personal errands, they were stopped by soldiers from State Administration Council (SAC)[4] Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[5] #599 and police officers on the road near the public hall in Mone Town. They were told to go to the public hall without being explained why. When they arrived, they were forced to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

The security forces that stopped them in Mone Town asked them to show their COVID-19 vaccination certificate. According to Naw A---, “[…] if we had it [a vaccination certificate], they would let us go. If we didn’t have the certificate and if we had not received any dose of COVID-19 vaccination, we were told to go [to the public hall] and get it.” She added that the security forces had guns with them and they would not allow them to refuse getting vaccinated. “We were afraid of them”, she said.

After they reached the public hall, they were given a number and asked to stand in a queue according to their number. At the public hall, there were police officers and five to six soldiers, as well as many SAC-appointed senior administrators from the town. According to Naw A---, their health condition was not examined before they were vaccinated and everyone except pregnant women were made to receive the vaccination. Some people told them that they had health issues and were not willing to get the vaccine but they were told to get it anyway. They did not have the option to choose the type of vaccine, and were also not told what type of vaccine was given to them. Naw A--- stated that she does not know who the people administering the vaccination were but believes that they were not nurses or healthcare workers from Moo (Mone) Hospital as most of the hospital staff are participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM)[6]. She added that the people who gave the vaccine were brought by the SAC. The people who vaccinated them also did not explain anything to them following the vaccination but gave them some sort of vaccination certificate that stated when to come back for a second dose.

According to Naw A---, soldiers and police officers were present around the hall, carrying guns with them so civilians were afraid and received the vaccination although they did not want to. Naw A--- added, “After we received the vaccination and exited the building, they [the police officers, soldiers, and administrators who were standing outside] laughed [were smiling and seemed amused].” When asked by the KHRG researcher how she felt, she said that she wasn’t satisfied because she felt like she was forced to get a vaccination without wanting to. After the vaccination, she had a fever and muscle pain but no other health complications.